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WILLIAM H. MCC/OY AN D A. WHEELER, OF CHARLESTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS.

Letters .Pa-tent No. 70,238, dated October 29, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN METALLIC GARTERS.

'.IO ALL WI-IOM IT' MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM H. McCoY and A. WHEELER, of Charlestown, inthe county of Middlesex, and State of Massachusetts, have invented animproved Stocking-Band or Supporter; and we do hereby declare that thefollowing, taken in connection with the drawings which accompany andform part of this specification, is a description of our inventionsuilicient to enable those skilled in the art to practise it.

In the employment of the ordinary flexible garter, for securing astocking in place, annoyance, pain, andv injury are often caused to thewearer by the garter acting as a ligature, and stopping the freecirculation of blood through the leg7 and various devices have beenemployed to remedy this evil, none of which, however, s0 lfar as weknow, have been practically eilicient. Our invention relates to theconstruction of a bander stockingsupporter, which, while holding thestocking securely in position, shall not unduly press upon the leg, andthe invention consists in an inelastic band madein two parts, hingedtogether, so that the band may be opened and shut, to readily apply itto and close it around the leg, the stocking being drawn over this band,when so closed upon the leg, and being confined to the concave outersurface of the band by an elastic or garter.

The drawings represent aband or stocking-supporter embodying theinvention.

A and B show side and edge views 'of thesame.

C is a section, taken on the red line seen in AandiB.

The band is shown as made of metal, in two parts, a b, hinged togethervat c, so that the parts may be opened to place the band around the leg..At its end opposite to the hinge the piece a has-two ears or bearings,d, supporting a cross-pin or clamp-wire, c, and between this clamp-wireand the end of the piece o.' the adjacent end of the pieceb is slid whenthe band is applied. The clamp-wire'has a bend,f, as seen at D, and onits end it carries a handle, g, for turning it. The end of the bandwhich slides under the clamp is provided with a series of depressions orgrooves, L, and when any one of these is brought under the shaft and theclamp-wire is turned down towards it, said wire enters the groove andsecures the piece b from slipping movement relatively to the piecea, orsecures the two parts rmly together, while, by turning tlie shaftoutwardly, the en-d of Z1 may be slipped freely, in either direction,under the shaft.

Instead Aof applying this band around the stocking, as is donc with acommon garter orelastic, the band is first applied to the leg, and thestocking drawn up over it. 'lhen an elastic or garter is woundandvfastened around the stocking, against the band, the stocking landelastic sinking into the depression in the'band, as will be readilyunderstood. It will thus be seen that the band may be easily applied andremoved` by opening the parts a b on their hinge, and that, whenadjusted suiciently tight 'around the leg, the free ends may be securedtogether in such manner as to hold and support the stocking securely inposition, or without any liability of its slipping from or'with theband, while the iniiexibility of the band, as regards any short sectionor portion of its length, prevents it from so binding upon or againstthe surface of the leg as to obstruct the free and proper circulation ofblood. Smallspnrs or teeth, or any equivalent'eccentric projection, maybe placed upon the clamp, instead of the bend in the wire, but weconsider the bend as generally preferable.

Holes z' may be provided along the band for stitching thereto thematerial with which the band is generally to be covered, and the band ispreferably made with a slight inward ccnvexity, as seen at B and Cl, forkeeping the edges from bearing against the leg. The band may be made ofmetal, or of hard rubber or other similar inflexible material. Forcheapness and eiiiciency we have found zinc to answer the purpose verywell.

We claim the stocking-band or supporter b', when made in two part-s,hinged together at c, substantially as described. y

We also claim the clamp-wire g, having a bend or eccentricf, working incombination with the grooves t.

to fasten the band, substantially as shown and described.

WM. H. McCOY.

A. WHEELER.

Witnesses:

F. GouLD, S. B. KIDDER.

